ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. -- The Elizabethtown College baseball team battled back from a game one loss to split with Catholic Saturday afternoon in the opening series of Landmark Conference play for both teams. The Cardinals won game one 6-3 and the Blue Jays took game two 12-8. Mike Christy had four RBIs for E-town in the game two victory.

Game 1: Catholic 6, Elizabethtown 3
Catholic (8-4, 1-1 Landmark) struck early with a run in the first to take a 1-0 right off the bat. The Cardinals grabbed four more in the second to increase the lead to 5-0.

Elizabethtown (4-7, 1-1 Landmark) got within two in the fifth inning. JT Thompson brought home Tyler McGonigle on a sac fly to left. Christy triple to center to score Anthony Knight. Riley McGinley's single through the left side plated Christy and on three swings of the bat, the Jays were now down only two, 5-3.

The Cardinals tacked on an insurance run in the top of the seventh and Eric Moore came in to close out the game for his first save. Jon Mierzwa moved to 3-0 on the season for CATHU.

Game 2: Elizabethtown 12, Catholic 8
A couple big innings helped the Blue Jays get even in the series. The Cardinals were ahead 2-0 in the first, but Elizabethtown answered right back. Christy singled to left and drove in the first of his four runs in game two. Robbie Bertucio singled up the middle to score Derek Manning and tie the game at 2-2.

Catholic doubled up the score with two runs in the top half of the second inning to make it 4-2. For the second straight inning, Christy knocked home a run, this time via a sacrifice fly to center. That cut the lead to 4-3.

After a pair of scoreless innings on both sides, the Jays produced four runs in the fifth that started on James Kantner's double to center that cleared the head of the center fielder and reached the fence. The senior's two-bagger knotted the score up at 4-4. Manning gave the Jays the lead with a single. Thompson drew a bases loaded walk and Christy added his third RBI of the game after being hit by a pitch with the bases still loaded. The run made it 7-4 in favor of Elizabethtown.

The Cardinals chipped away at the lead, getting a run in the sixth and seventh innings to bring the visitors within a run, 7-6.

McGinley singled through the left side in the bottom half of the seventh as Michael Rajnik scored on the hit. Rajnik pinch ran for Thompson. A throwing error allowed two more runs to score as E-town was now ahead 10-6. Andrew Fisher brought home Bertucio from third on a sac fly and Christy's fourth and final RBI of the game came in the eighth inning with a single that split the third baseman and shortstop.

Catholic got two back in the ninth on a two-run home run, but Kelly Holdren slammed the door to get the Jays the win.

Eric Sipling, who pitched three innings in relief, got the win for the first of his career. Joseph Sarich, Sipling, and Holdren each struck out three batters.

The teams will finish up their three-game set tomorrow at Kevin Scott Boyd Stadium with the rubber match at 12 p.m.